Selling & Sales Management

Developing Skills for Success

Every word of this textbook is packed with helpful and applicable information to make you a better salesperson. I’ve never had a textbook that I looked forward to reading, and actively applied to better my life. Dr. Spiller truly brings the sales process to life!

Dr. Spiller’s textbook is excellently constructed. It immediately grabbed my attention and included only the most useful sales information. It is my favorite textbook of all my classes and I know I will use it throughout my career in sales. This textbook doesn’t just tell you how to sell the steak, it goes above and beyond and tells you how to sell the sizzle!

This textbook is easy to digest and packed with useful information that can be transferred to real life applications. It provides readers with a step by step walk through of the selling process along with guides on how to be an effective communicator and close the deal. Dr. Spiller provides everything you need to be a successful salesperson in the 21st century. It’s a must read!

As a student with multiple other textbooks to read, this one stands out as vibrant, lively, and engaging. It feels student-friendly and incredibly accessible. I especially appreciate how each chapter builds on the last, which helps with the mastery of the material. I know I will recall information provided here long after I have finished reading it and feel better off for it!

Lisa Spiller takes a fresh and comprehensive look at professional sales by examining the roots of what’s necessary to succeed as a salesperson. She teaches the student how to examine and develop an understanding of the customer needs and then translates that into strategies for satisfying customer objections, making presentations, and closing the sale. The student is walked through the tactics of networking, finding qualified leads, strategic marketing to qualify leads, cold calling, making sales presentations, satisfying customer concerns, closing the sale, and sales management. Chapters include biographical highlights of actual professional salespeople to relate to student interest. Also included are tools for the professor at the end of each chapter, including case studies and role-play exercises to reinforce the chapter learnings.

Spiller’s unique contribution to the pedagogy of sales education is how a salesperson can be successful in making presentations through storytelling. Research shows that retention of key elements of presentations increases to 60-70% when presentations are turned into stories. Spiller shows the student how to do that. I highly recommend this book.